Older ships can be purchased cheap but have to be managed properly - including not firing full broadsides at once

[Destraex]

Was reading Jack Aubrey a while back and there was a ship assigned to a far outpost because it was all they had. It was elderly and could not be counted upon not to disintegrate in battle. The wood needed a complete overhaul. She should in fact have been decommissioned.

Instead because she was large, she was made the flagship of that small outpost. However her timbers could not stand a full broadside at once and the guns had to be fired one at a time to prevent damage to the hull - or so it was feared.

 

I wonder whether a mechanic of this kind can somehow be incorporated in game for a bit of flavour. Elderly ships being important as a naval presence or convoy escort... perhaps AI?  Or perhaps just as cheap second hand SOLs for a captains first naval assignment.

[mouse of war]

I've also read that sometimes a captured ship had taken such a battering that even after repairs she couldn't stand the shock of firing her original armament. The solution was to use smaller guns.

 

Perhaps this would also apply to older ships?

[marecek05]

This could be possible malus for loosing a durability. E.g.: Constitution with 4 duras, wouldn't be able to fire top deck as a broadside, but only as single shots. 3 duras can only mount 12 lbr (or equivalent) on top deck, etc....

[Destraex]

Wow that durability scheme is scary. Don't think it would work well in game. Or perhaps it would work if there was a button to perform a complete timber refit to get the ship back in shape. Durability loss like this would have to be after 15 lives or something like that though.

[marecek05]

There would be a button like that. It would provide yet another moneysink to avoid in game inflation....

[Laik]

-       Maintance costs. Repair materials (cloth/planks) costing money. On top of that crew upkeep (say, weekly) is a must. Third maintance factor is a refit. Say, after 6 months at sea, ships start to degrade (speed, hull strength etc.) and require port to refit. Refit is costly (more so for the ‘elite’ ships) and without too much time without you lose a dura. Refit requires appropriate port, which adds strategic level to port control. Crafters could be able to do a refit cheaper (stimulating economy).

 

Refit was a very costly and necessary part of every ships lifespan. Temeraires refits cost more than the building of the ship itself. Same goes for adapting a captured ship (usually battered) to one's navy standards. I think some sort of refit system is necessary to stimulate the economy and provide more variety in ships performance (in the same class especially). This is also necessary, because of the future premium ships having unlimited duras (which robs crafters off work - building ships). Refit provides them with a substitute which still costs a lot and requires materials (economy) while letting premium users keep their ship (just with worse performence after they neglect it for a long time). 

[Destraex]

At least with a refit I can get another 5 durability out of my ship... I am so attached to her.

[BungeeLemming]

think of such:

 

badly shaped ship will get its time for its broadside lengthened.

Its just what Aubrey did with the Leopard. Not firing at once and giving a good delay between the guncrews.

 

But devs said way back that our ships will always be in 100% condition..

[Hugh Latham]

think of such:

 

badly shaped ship will get its time for its broadside lengthened.

Its just what Aubrey did with the Leopard. Not firing at once and giving a good delay between the guncrews.

 

But devs said way back that our ships will always be in 100% condition..

I don't see why your last statement should be law. I'm sure nothing about game play is written in stone. That is why we are here to test out the progress.

[312_JS]

Ah, just found this..

 

I've just created another similar thread, sry about that. Feel free to merge them.

http://forum.game-labs.net/index.php?/topic/6562-higher-upkeep-as-the-ship-ages-new-business-for-shipbuilders/